Record Breaking Night In Oil Kings Regular Season Finale

March 17, 2013, Edmonton, AB (ISN) – It was a record breaking night as the Oil Kings posted a 5-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels in their final game of the regular season.

With the victory, the Oil Kings set new franchise highs with 51 wins and 108 points in 2012-13. The 16,370 in attendance also lifted the Oil Kings to a new franchise high of 272,708 for the season. This was the second highest attendance in the entire WHL and surpassed last season’s total of 231,160.

Cole Benson opened the scoring 2:50 into the first as he picked up a rebound in traffic and lifted a shot past Red Deer goaltender Bolton Pouliot. The Rebels would answer less than a minute and a half later off the stick of Tyson Ness.

Edmonton would break the game open in the second after killing a pair of early penalties. The Oil Kings bombarded the Red Deer net to the tune of 22 second period shots. Trevor Cheek scored his 32nd of the season with a diving poke past Pouliot to regain the lead for the home side.

Curtis Lazar took home the Oil Kings goal scoring title in highlight reel fashion with a brilliant end to end rush for his 38th of the season. The Oil Kings highest rated prospect for the 2013 NHL Draft ends his regular season with 38 goals, 23 assists and a plus-25 rating.

Edgars Kulda and Mitch Moroz scored the other Oil Kings’ goals in the third as Edmonton cruised to the 5-1 win. The Oil Kings’ power play was an impressive 2 for 3 on the evening while holding the Rebels to 0 for 5 with the man advantage. Edmonton’s power play ends the regular season ranked first in the WHL at 28.6%. The penalty kill ends the season tied for first with the Portland Winterhawks who play their final game tomorrow.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry had 27 saves to finish the season with an 18-7-0-0 record. Jarry leads the entire WHL with a 1.61 GAA and 0.936 save percentage this season. The Oil Kings top goaltending prospect for the 2013 draft combined with Laurent Brossoit to set a new franchise record 11 shut outs this season. The Oil Kings allowed the least number of goals in the WHL and will enter the playoffs unbeaten in regulation in their last 9 games.

The 2012 Oil Kings Playoffs will kick off with Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal on March 22nd at Rexall Place. The WHL regular season Eastern Conference Champions will begin defense of the 2012 WHL Championship against the franchise that once called Edmonton home – the Kootenay Ice.

Game time for Game 1 is set for 7:00 p.m. with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. Advance ticket prices in the first round of the playoffs will start at just $20. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance to save compared to ‘day of game’ pricing.

There is still time to purchase the Playoff Pass presented by ATB Financial. A one-time, low price of $99 will secure your seat for every Oil Kings home playoff game in 2013. Fans may purchase the Playoff Pass presented by ATB Financial online at oilkings.ca or at Edmonton Oil Kings or Oilers home games. The Oil Kings 2012-13 season is presented by JLT, Insurance & Risk Management.

The Oil Kings opening round schedule is as follows: (All Times MDT)

Edmonton (1) vs Kootenay (8)

Game #1 – Friday, March 22 @ Edmonton – 7:00 p.m.

Game #2 – Sunday, March 24 @ Edmonton – 4:00 p.m.

Game #3 – Tuesday, March 26 @ Kootenay – 7:00 p.m.

Game #4 – Wednesday, March 27 @ Kootenay – 7:00 p.m.

*Game #5 – Friday, March 29 @ Edmonton – 7:00 p.m.

*Game #6 – Sunday, March 31 @ Kootenay – 6:00 p.m.

*Game #7 – Tuesday, April 2 @ Edmonton – 7:00 p.m.

*if necessary

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